Data from: Genetic architecture of a hormonal response to gene knockdown in honey bees

Variation in endocrine signaling is proposed to underlie the evolution and regulation of social life histories, but the genetic architecture of endocrine signaling is still poorly understood. An excellent example of a hormonally influenced set of social traits is found in the honey bee (Apis mellifera): a dynamic and mutually suppressive relationship between juvenile hormone (JH) and the yolk precursor protein vitellogenin (Vg) regulates behavioral maturation and foraging of workers. Several other traits cosegregate with these behavioral phenotypes, comprising the pollen hoarding syndrome (PHS) one of the best-described animal behavioral syndromes. Genotype differences in responsiveness of JH to Vg are a potential mechanistic basis for the PHS. Here, we reduced Vg expression via RNA interference in progeny from a backcross between 2 selected lines of honey bees that differ in JH responsiveness to Vg reduction and measured JH response and ovary size, which represents another key aspect of the PHS. Genetic mapping based on restriction site-associated DNA tag sequencing identified suggestive quantitative trait loci (QTL) for ovary size and JH responsiveness. We confirmed genetic effects on both traits near many QTL that had been identified previously for their effect on various PHS traits. Thus, our results support a role for endocrine control of complex traits at a genetic level. Furthermore, this first example of a genetic map of a hormonal response to gene knockdown in a social insect helps to refine the genetic understanding of complex behaviors and the physiology that may underlie behavioral control in general.内分泌信号传导的变异被认为是社会生活史演化与调控的潜在基础，但目前学界对内分泌信号传导的遗传架构仍知之甚少。在西方蜜蜂（Apis mellifera）中，存在一组受激素调控的典型社会性状：保幼激素（juvenile hormone, JH）与卵黄原蛋白（vitellogenin, Vg）之间存在动态且相互抑制的关系，该关系调控工蜂的行为成熟与觅食行为。另有多项性状与这些行为表型共分离，共同构成贮粉综合征（pollen hoarding syndrome, PHS）——这是目前研究最为透彻的动物行为综合征之一。保幼激素对卵黄原蛋白的响应性存在基因型差异，这可能是贮粉综合征的潜在机制基础。本研究通过RNA干扰（RNA interference, RNAi）技术，在两个因对卵黄原蛋白减少的保幼激素响应性存在差异的西方蜜蜂选育品系的回交后代中下调卵黄原蛋白的表达，并检测了保幼激素响应性与卵巢大小——这是贮粉综合征的另一关键特征。基于限制性酶切位点相关DNA标签测序（restriction site-associated DNA tag sequencing）的遗传定位分析，鉴定出与卵巢大小及保幼激素响应性相关的提示性数量性状基因座（quantitative trait loci, QTL）。我们在多个此前被发现与贮粉综合征各类性状相关的数量性状基因座附近，验证了这两种性状受到的遗传调控效应。综上，本研究结果从遗传层面支持内分泌调控复杂性状的作用。此外，本研究首次构建了社会性昆虫中针对基因敲低的激素响应遗传图谱，这有助于深化对复杂行为的遗传认知，以及普遍存在的行为调控背后的生理机制。